Wandsworth

Wandsworth's population expanded between the last two censuses. At the same time there were changes in housing tenure, religion and ethnicity.

The population reached nearly 310,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Wandsworth increased by 18%, from about 260,000 to 307,000.

The addition of almost 47,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Wandsworth was home to, on average, 64 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across London

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across London, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Wandsworth

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Wandsworth increased by one year, from 31 to 32 years.

This cosmopolitan area had a lower average age than London and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of almost 15,000 people between the ages of 30 and 39 years, while the population over the age of 80 years decreased by just over 800.

About 23% of people in Wandsworth are aged between 30 and 39 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Wandsworth by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More people cohabiting

Wandsworth saw London's second-largest rise in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple.

In 2011, just under one in eight (12%) households in Wandsworth had an unmarried couple, compared with 10% in 2001. The percentage of households comprising just one person decreased from 37% to 32%.

Across the region, only Islington saw a greater rise in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple (from 9.4% to 12%).

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple was higher than across London

Percentage of households that had an unmarried couple across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Wandsworth that rented privately increased from 23% to 32% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just over one in five (20%) households lived in social housing, compared with 23% in 2001. The percentage of Wandsworth households that owned their home decreased from 52% to 46%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased at a slower rate here than the figure for the whole of London (from 15% in 2001 to 25% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.9% to 17%.

Private renting in Wandsworth increased by 8.4 percentage points

Percentage of households in Wandsworth, London and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Wandsworth

The percentage of Wandsworth residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 4.6% to 4.3% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities remained close to 2.0%, while the percentage of Wandsworth residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 93%.

The proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 5.8% in 2001 to 5.3% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 6.8% to 6.5%.

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across London

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Wandsworth

The number of people in Wandsworth that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 52,000 in 2001 to about 83,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 20% to 27% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across London (from 16% to 21%), but at a slower rate than the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Wandsworth that described themselves as Christian remained close to 160,000 between the last two censuses (from 62% to 53% of the population). The number of people who described themselves as Muslim increased from about 14,000 to just under 25,000 (from 5.2% to 8.1%).

Just over 24,000 people (8.8%) did not state their religion, up from about 23,000 in 2001 (7.9%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Wandsworth increased by 7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Wandsworth by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

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